Let's Play VtM: Wild Nights - Chapter 10

[Esquilax]

laclongquan has a point. Jaimeson should have a backup on site, but i don't want to send the sheriff. I like my idea of the gangrel contacting the gangrel too much.

But we can do that shit later - why do we need to do it now, especially at such a critical moment? I don't see how it's so vital that we can't get Schiller to do it after we're done seeing this plan through, it just seems short-sighted. Also, think about how fucking crazy it is to go into Battersea with what you propose: Jaimeson, Fellowes and us (still nursing our wounds, btw) against a few crazed Sabbat packs and the Sculptor - those are terrible odds. You think the two of us can come in, start shooting, then Donnie will run away and set off the bombs, no problem? We'll get killed before we even manage to run out of there.

Since you guys are determined to go all BRO on this turn and get us killed, at least bring Erika and some of her people along with Oscar providing surveillance and recon info. that way we may even survive a few seconds. I don't understand the rationale: we've just got done faking our deaths, now you guys want to leave all of a sudden? Makes no sense. It's inconsistent with our choices at best, and disastrous at worst.

 

[Rod Rodderson]

“Ssh-ssh,” someone says. “Just drink up, darling. Better than mother’s milk. You’ll see.”

A cap is pressed, very gently, between your lips. Thick, familiar liquid begins to trickle onto your tongue.

You gulp at it, mindlessly, tilting your head backwards to try and force the flow of the blood. The bottle is lifted away from you; you whine and snap your fangs and crane your head out after it.

I just noticed this and I don't think it's been pointed out. What exactly is it that Eames fed us?

 

[Storyfag]

laclongquan has a point. Jaimeson should have a backup on site, but i don't want to send the sheriff. I like my idea of the gangrel contacting the gangrel too much.

But we can do that shit later

Agreed.

I don't understand the rationale: we've just got done faking our deaths, now you guys want to leave all of a sudden? Makes no sense. It's inconsistent with our choices at best, and disastrous at worst.

I don't want to leave the safehouse. But I want to be able to if we have to. We stay put during the incoming update, but might get mobile in the one after that if the situation demands it. And only then.

“Ssh-ssh,” someone says. “Just drink up, darling. Better than mother’s milk. You’ll see.”

A cap is pressed, very gently, between your lips. Thick, familiar liquid begins to trickle onto your tongue.

You gulp at it, mindlessly, tilting your head backwards to try and force the flow of the blood. The bottle is lifted away from you; you whine and snap your fangs and crane your head out after it.

I just noticed this and I don't think it's been pointed out. What exactly is it that Eames fed us?

Shit, we digested it instead of throwing up. This either means she has excellant intelligence on our feeding habits or fed us kindred vitae!

 

[SCO]

Why not tell sheriff about Terrance?

She is already suspicious of the prince. How much more she will be when she sees terrance is not coming home?

Just do it. There is no point to not doing it except antagonizing her.

Also if we are going to ask her to contact the gangrel for scouting him out, she has to know about this anyway.

laclongquan has a point. Jaimeson should have a backup on site, but i don't want to send the sheriff. I like my idea of the gangrel contacting the gangrel too much.

But we can do that shit later - why do we need to do it now, especially at such a critical moment? I don't see how it's so vital that we can't get Schiller to do it after we're done seeing this plan through, it just seems short-sighted. Also, think about how fucking crazy it is to go into Battersea with what you propose: Jaimeson, Fellowes and us (still nursing our wounds, btw) against a few crazed Sabbat packs and the Sculptor - those are terrible odds. You think the two of us can come in, start shooting, then Donnie will run away and set off the bombs, no problem? We'll get killed before we even manage to run out of there.

Second, i was not talking about both of us getting out. Just Fellowes, but ok, i see your point.
I was not talking about getting in - at all. Just that oscar would be there outside to detonate/use the secondary transmitter - this is needed - in case things go south for Jaimeson, and fellowes/oscar would be there to pick off any sabbat survivors that exit the station as a snipper spotter team. If it becomes necessary to get in (aka we want to exterminate every single pack member even if Jaimeson fails), then the sheriff is more appropriate yes.

 

[Kz3r0]

Shit, we digested it instead of throwing up. This either means she has excellant intelligence on our feeding habits or fed us kindred vitae!

Thank Donnie for our newly forged blood bond.

 

[SCO]

Shit, we digested it instead of throwing up. This either means she has excellant intelligence on our feeding habits or fed us kindred vitae!

Thank Donnie for our newly forged blood bond.

3 needed, three days. I hope a vaulderie happens sometimes meanwhile or after.
We should be warming up to her now
http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Blood_bond_%28VTM%29

Also i thank the guys that voted to go to the tremere witch, but i like her resources though. I want her.

 

[Esquilax]

Thank Donnie for our newly forged blood bond.

Still was the best way to get to Angelos. The other options either wouldn't have worked or pissed off the Sheriff. I don't regret modifying Donnie's original plan and faking our own deaths - what I regret is moving in with the Tremere.

Let's assume the Regent fed us her vitae. That means we try and find out as much as possible about the Vaulderie to counteract this. It's imperative that we save Donnie since he has likely undergone the ritual. We should also get the Sheriff to try and capture Wilkinson or some stray Sabbat so that they can teach us the ritual. SCO made some good suggestions on this. In the short-term, we should spend the night at the safehouse and look for excuses to avoid interaction with Eames as much as possible.

 

[Kz3r0]

Thank Donnie for our newly forged blood bond.

Still was the best way to get to Angelos. The other options either wouldn't have worked or pissed off the Sheriff. I don't regret modifying Donnie's original plan and faking our own deaths - what I regret is moving in with the Tremere.

Because we don't need anyone right?

 

[SCO]

Let's assume the Regent fed us her vitae. That means we try and find out as much as possible about the Vaulderie to counteract this. It's imperative that we save Donnie since he has likely undergone the ritual. We should also get the Sheriff to try and capture Wilkinson or some stray Sabbat so that they can teach us the ritual. SCO made some good suggestions on this. In the short-term, we should spend the night at the safehouse and look for excuses to avoid interaction with Eames as much as possible.

I think she will be interrested herself. The pyramid is very stiffing as i said. As a baron on a ventrue princedom, she would probably respond to the council of seven (ie: the Methuselahs) directly, or one step bellow them maybe.

Every tremere has a weak one way vaulderie like ritual applied to them with the blood of the council when they embrace.

Soon after being Embraced, Tremere neonates are made to drink the blood of the Inner Council through a ritual called the Transubstantiation of Seven, bringing them one step towards a blood bond to the clan's leaders and ensuring some degree of loyalty to their peers. Afterwards their training begins, even as they continue to grapple with their transformation into a vampire, memorize the Traditions, learn to feed, and so on. These factors lead to a high rate of failure in newly Embraced Tremere, who may go mad or commit suicide.

She may not take the bait, either because of the weak bloodbond, or because of the flaw of the tremere antribu (that by this time, should be almost all dead BTW: Tremere ate them or something in 1999 according to the metaplot). This flaw is the result of a ritual by the councill of seven cursing tremere that partake of the (normal) vaulderie with a visible mark.

Fucking gamebalance man.
If you think it wise to keep it secret from her, i have no objection really.

 

[Esquilax]

If Eames does the Vaulderie, she'll have the mark of a traitor branded on her forehead and it will be visible to all other Tremere. She'd never agree to it.

I'm going to write the following under the assumption Eames has attempted to deceive us. We have some time, so we should work towards avoiding contact with Eames as much as possible. If our plan to kill Angelos works out, we should petition the Prince to get our office in Whitehall back now that we've done something impressive and du Marchais has been incompetent.

We should try to get Erika to get some of her people to track down Wilkinson or some stray Sabbat and keep her around. She will likely have some knowledge of the Vaulderie ritual. It's very important that we rescue Donnie as well - since he will have gone through the Vaulderie, he may remember the ritual. The Vaulderie would be my first choice.

There's another solution if we're desperate. You can only be bound to one regnant at a time, correct? I think it's clear that nobody here wants to be bound to Eames. But what about being mutually bound to someone we can trust and who trusts us, like Edgar? Both of us would be bound to each other to foster unity, and we'd be immune to Eames' attempts to make us into her blood thralls until we find out how to perform a Vaulderie. In fact, we could easily use this to deceive her by drinking her blood and making her think that she is our regnant - she would be completely oblivious to any deception we'd plan. This isn't a great idea, I know, but a mutual bloodbond with a lackey we can trust is 10X better than servitude to a bitch that we can't.

 

[laclongquan]

Plan B only, old chap, plan B only. While the threat is real, Sammy doesnt strike me as improvisional type. It's pretty low chance that she tricked you at that moment. But it's not hurt to be prepared for the worst situation.

 

[laclongquan]

And Grotsnik, while excerpts on Donnie's adventure is fine and good, I'd like more of real updates. What is the ETA of the next update, by the way?

 

[SCO]

If Eames does the Vaulderie, she'll have the mark of a traitor branded on her forehead and it will be visible to all other Tremere. She'd never agree to it.

I wanted her to work around it. It shouldn't be impossible. But it's too risky i agree.

I like the idea of she thinking we are bloodbonded but not.

 

[Esquilax]

Unfortunately, it pretty much is impossible to get her to agree to a Vaulderie. Any Tremere who undergoes a Vaulderie gets that supernatural brand visible to their clanmates right after they undergo the ritual. Even if Eames and Anthony had complete trust in one another, she would never agree to it because it is a death sentence.

Second, i was not talking about both of us getting out. Just Fellowes, but ok, i see your point.
I was not talking about getting in - at all. Just that oscar would be there outside to detonate/use the secondary transmitter - this is needed - in case things go south for Jaimeson, and fellowes/oscar would be there to pick off any sabbat survivors that exit the station as a snipper spotter team. If it becomes necessary to get in (aka we want to exterminate every single pack member even if Jaimeson fails), then the sheriff is more appropriate yes.

Either Anthony or Edgar leaving is completely out of the question. I don't quite understand your plan here, to be honest. Let Fellowes go to wipe out any Sabbat survivors after the blast? If the bomb has gone off and Angelos is dead, well then we hardly need Edgar involved, right? Break it down for me step-by-step, I am probably getting something wrong. I'd still much rather get the Sheriff involved than us if we can help it.

As far as rescuing Donnie, I am pretty sure that he is already coming up with some inventive ways ofget himself out of trouble, but I just want Oscar's surveillance on him and the Sheriff on hand in case he's in trouble.

 

[laclongquan]

Look, we are talking about the guy saying "drink a gallon of their half-assed pissant Sabbat blood and still give them the bird". He's just too wild to plan properly. Improvisation is fine and good but we are Ventrue, provide backup plans and alternative is our second nature. Keep. Hiss. Ass. Covered. And. Alive.

And use both of them. There's just too much riding on this operation to hold back at this moment. Wilkinson heard that we are planning to destroy the Caellian tomorrow night. Fortunately we are dead, so maybe the Sabbat got one night to find Donnie, and venture down under Battersea.

 

[Esquilax]

Look, we are talking about the guy saying "drink a gallon of their half-assed pissant Sabbat blood and still give them the bird". He's just too wild to plan properly. Improvisation is fine and good but we are Ventrue, provide backup plans and alternative is our second nature. Keep. Hiss. Ass. Covered. And. Alive.

And use both of them. There's just too much riding on this operation to hold back at this moment. Wilkinson heard that we are planning to destroy the Caellian tomorrow night. Fortunately we are dead, so maybe the Sabbat got one night to find Donnie, and venture down under Battersea.

No way. If we leave, we are doing the exact opposite of keeping him covered, we're blowing his cover. You can't have your cake and eat it too on this one. We've got so many assets to use and so many options, yet you're opting to take the most obvious and least strategic one available. ffs, even grotsnik said that it was a bad idea to leave now. And it is completely idiotic and inconsistent: we faked our deaths maybe an hour ago, but now we fuck off and leave? Why even go through with this plan to begin with if we're just going to bail like that? We're wounded as is, what help could we possibly be?

Use Oscar for surveillance and Erika for muscle once they head down to Battersea. Maybe have Eames call publicly for Jamieson's arrest and have her send some of her own people to aid the Sheriff, if you think she needs the firepower. But for fuck's sake, please don't get us involved, it's a horrible idea.

 

[SCO]

It's not actually so suspicious that that the thing is unguarded.

We are "dead", the cammies aren't supposed to know there is a spy. Letting Wilkinson know that the sheriff knows, and wants to destroy them, should get them to move before it. That the sheriff DOES end up fighting them is .... a interesting, but expected angle.

That they are wiped out, is the best option. It would make the other packs fear the sheriff if they found out that she was the "cause", it would make Jaimeson "dead" too, it would prevent the trap and the rat (us) from being at the forefront of Dubriks thoughts.

But i think he will figure it out eventually.

Voting for the sheriff and Oscar. The sheriff can decide to trigger the detonation device prematurely or not, if Jaimeson fucks it up.
Training with fellowes (male bonding, ask about Mike, the dead brujah, tell him about the blood given during our recovery and worry about it, but be careful since tremere chantries have hears and sometimes eyes - write it out and burn it and spread the ashes or something).

Give the sheriff the photos too, and tell her to do that thing i suggested with the gangrel when she has the time.

The sheriff should be sent the photos (why not? It will only make her more suspicious of the prince) and their circumstances, and asked to contact and request of the gangrel in the area a understanding, that when the war warms up, we (the camarilla) will help them if they are targeted by the sabbat roving packs. And to watch for the guy in the photo (maybe something of his for they to smell as well?) as a favor. A prelude to a alliance. And she is kin. They will offer her a bolt hole if things really go south. This will make her calmer. We might find out where Terrance is. The gangrel are fantastic trackers.

No need to be on this update you understand, just something for she to do and reassuring her he are "on the level".

 

[Esquilax]

It's not actually so suspicious that that the thing is unguarded.

We are "dead", the cammies aren't supposed to know there is a spy. Letting Wilkinson know that the sheriff knows, and wants to destroy them, should get them to move before it. That the sheriff DOES end up fighting them is .... a interesting, but expected angle.

Exactly! This is completely congruent with our narrative. Angelos is aware that both Eames and Schiller know about the Caecilian, so when they hear a Gangrel tearing shovelheads to shreds outside, they'll figure "Oh, well that must be the Sheriff come to destroy the Caecilian, just like our informant said she would" It makes a great deal more sense than, "One of our people sighted Anthony Sommers on his way to Battersea. Meh, it's probably nothing"

Voting for the sheriff and Oscar.
Training with fellowes (male bonding, ask about Mike, the dead brujah, tell him about the blood given during our recovery and worry about it, but be careful since tremere chantries have hears and sometimes eyes - write it out and burn it and spread the ashes or something).

Give the sheriff the photos too, and tell her to do that thing i suggested with the gangrel when she has the time. No need to be on this update you understand, just something for she to do.

We're not in a Chantry. It's safe to talk in here, otherwise Oscar wouldn't have told us about Rannigan. If there was anything in here, Oscar would have sniffed it out instantly. Tremere surveillance is fucking child's play to a Nos.

SCO, I'm beginning to warm up a bit to contacting the Gangrel. But here's another reason: whether this thing works out or not, the Sabbat will have us on their shit list once we come back to life, and we'll need muscle. We should go to the place where the Gangrel lurk and hire the biggest, meanest motherfucker we can find as a bodyguard.

 

[laclongquan]

Okay, you make good points so I will compromise in this manner:

1. have Oscar met with Erika to brief her the following:
+ All that Oscar gather about Terrance and Kueijin monster. this is to soften her for the next suggestion.
+ Oscar will relay for us our request to have backup specifically for Donnie. And tell her that if she doesnt agree we will go out to help that mad Malk. Oscar will call us back, quickly and shortly, "She agree" or "She doesnt care much for that". We only listen *NOT TALK* on that phone call.

2. If "She Agree", then we sit tight with Eddie, train and rest. Shooting the shit if possible.

3. IF "she doesnt care much for that" then we go out to help Donnie. Fuck wounds, fuck trap. We get that mad bugger out of there alive.

Reasoning for going out? Excuting an ambush by sacrificing one valuable asset is shortsighted. It's like you cut down a fruit tree just to get at the squirrel on top.

 

[SCO]

I also don't want to sacrifice Jaimeson (though i think he will perform immaculately), so have no problem with that compromise. If you and Esquilax want to dicker about that, or if we both go or just Fellowes, consider me as agreeing with whoever prevails.
Added my request for her contacting the gangrel, and it's a lock for me.

Eh, this is why no army ever allowed voting.

 

[Esquilax]

Okay, you make good points so I will compromise in this manner:

1. have Oscar met with Erika to brief her the following:
+ All that Oscar gather about Terrance and Kueijin monster. this is to soften her for the next suggestion.
+ Oscar will relay for us our request to have backup specifically for Donnie. And tell her that if she doesnt agree we will go out to help that mad Malk. Oscar will call us back, quickly and shortly, "She agree" or "She doesnt care much for that". We only listen *NOT TALK* on that phone call.

Don't even think we need to do that, I am sure that Erika is solidly in. She has already agreed to help us with the sting, she's not going to back out at this point. I'd rather not have Oscar brief her: he won't like being put in the spotlight like that, plus she already knows that shit already. I just want to get to the next update though, so I am not going to bicker with a fellow bro about the details.

Final plan for me is the same as before:
- Don't tell the Sheriff about Rannigan (it can wait until after the mission, has nothing to do with the task at hand)
- Backup for Donnie: Get Oscar to provide surveillance for Schiller and her grunts inside the sewer.
- Stay put inside the safehouse and have a heart-to-heart with Edgar. And possibly learn how to not be such a pussy along the way.

 

[laclongquan]

Like I said, brief her about Terrance is to soften her for our next request. She dont care much for that mad Malk so we need her solidly in. *Need*. And while this operation is everything to us, Erika is SHERIFF of the whole London. She got other respoonsiblities so her resources are stretched. Soften her to ensure solid support for Donnie is worth the bother.

And yeah, if armies allow democracy they wont ever do anything.

 

[Storyfag]

Final plan for me is the same as before:
- Don't tell the Sheriff about Rannigan (it can wait until after the mission, has nothing to do with the task at hand)
- Backup for Donnie: Get Oscar to provide surveillance for Schiller and her grunts inside the sewer.
- Stay put inside the safehouse and have a heart-to-heart with Edgar. And possibly learn how to not be such a pussy along the way.

Agreed. But i'd like to be able to rush out of the safehouse IF SITUATION DEMANDS IT.

 

[laclongquan]

Bump our way toward the next page.

 

[laclongquan]

Do not go gently into that good light ,
Old age should burn and rave as sun rise;
Rage, rage against the dying of the night.
Though wise men at their end know dark is nigh,
---Reputed to be whispered by an unknown Torreador before his stepping out into the blinding rays of Arabian sun---